Whangamata I Painting

Anna’s work delves into the importance of negative space, or what she describes as her interpretation of the Zen philosophy "Ma" - the spatial relationship between the structural elements. Her paintings and drawings incorporate the Shibumi principles - a complexed process which is not evident in the outcome, principles including asymmetry, simplicity and a reverence of nature to create works of unobtrusive beauty. She begins by referencing something tangible, be it the observed landscape or recollected through memory and then strips away all but the non-essential aspects of the initial idea leaving behind just the gestural marks and elemental colour. This removal of the superfluous to reveal only the most subtle of variations encourages the observer to slow down, pause, meditate and take in the tranquillity of the work. A very real and modern interpretation of minimalism, her work is a result of an admiration of Abstract Expressionism, The St Ives Artists and Japanese aesthetics with a gradual move towards Constructivism.